gkd_uk
Well-Known Member
Stamping out bullying online is not going to be easy, says columnist Bill Thompson.
The 12-year-old daughter of a friend of mine is being pestered by a fellow pupil who sends her text messages and e-mails saying she is horrible. She has also been harassed over Microsoft Messenger, and the bully even went to the trouble of taunting her on Myspace and Bebo, encouraging other pupils to join in.
Cyberbullying like this is becoming more and more of a problem for children, and schools and parents are finding it hard to cope.
Monitoring what happens in the playground can deter physical aggression and name-calling, and bus monitors can help on the trip to and from school. But different strategies will be required online, as we're never going to find enough teachers to monitor every online interaction even if we wanted to.
Technical solutions won't help either, as kids seem to be well ahead of their parents when it comes to finding ways to exploit the capabilities of their new toys, and pretty good at finding ways around the obstacles to inappropriate use we put in their way.
Read more
The 12-year-old daughter of a friend of mine is being pestered by a fellow pupil who sends her text messages and e-mails saying she is horrible. She has also been harassed over Microsoft Messenger, and the bully even went to the trouble of taunting her on Myspace and Bebo, encouraging other pupils to join in.
Cyberbullying like this is becoming more and more of a problem for children, and schools and parents are finding it hard to cope.
Monitoring what happens in the playground can deter physical aggression and name-calling, and bus monitors can help on the trip to and from school. But different strategies will be required online, as we're never going to find enough teachers to monitor every online interaction even if we wanted to.
Technical solutions won't help either, as kids seem to be well ahead of their parents when it comes to finding ways to exploit the capabilities of their new toys, and pretty good at finding ways around the obstacles to inappropriate use we put in their way.
Read more
